Days Gone By
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: The war may have ended, but life in Konoha still continues to flourish. But with prosperity and peace, comes boredom and stagnation. How can the ninja survive in a world of peace?
1. A New Beginning

**This chapter and new story brought to you by razzmatazz22 and DevilsDoCry.**

...

Uzumaki Naruto had not slept well at all that night; today was his anniversary after all. He had been Hokage for five years, and in that time he had learned that the hokage did much more than what they led the public to believe. There was a time after his coronation that he, like all the Hokage's before him, acted as an olive branch to the people of Konoha. Naruto would spend a few hours each day wandering around Konoha, checking up on the people he'd sworn to protect.

Yet, as the months began and ended, his time doing this gradually depleted to where he was stuck in his office nearly all day. Mission rota's, academy applications, academy reports, clan requests-these were the things that Naruto overlooked when he became Hokage.

And now here he was again, bereft of a good night's sleep and yet again going over the village's issues with his advisor, Shikamaru.

"Along with the issue of barely any shinobi work, we're graduating another class today. The Jonin instructors have assembled downstairs, ready to be assigned their teams," said Shikamaru, flicking through his stack of papers, pulling out the necessary folders and placing them on the huge desk.

Glancing at the folders, Naruto saw a few familiar names. Konohamaru Sarutobi, Mirai Yuhi, and Izumo Kamizuki, to name but a few.

"Another class is graduating. That would mean Bol..." said Naruto before his voice trailed off.

Looking up from his papers, Shikamaru could notice the small details that gave Naruto away. The light purple bags that hung loose under each eye, the slightly more unkempt hair than normal. Even the twinkle in Naruto's eyes had seemed to have lost its luster.

"Yeah, Bolt and Shikidai are both graduating today. That is if either of them pass their tests," replied Shikamaru as he rubbed at the back of his head.

Naruto smiled as he remembered the somewhat disastrous circumstances behind his own graduation. Naruto had spent one of his rare afternoons off, teaching Bolt the proper way to make a Bunshin clone and the dynamics behind it. "I guess that's a good enough reason as any to leave the paperwork for another day," said Naruto as he pushed himself up from his desk, stretching out his back as he did so.

"What about the Jonin downstairs?" questioned Shikamaru.

"I doubt any of them are still waiting for us. I bet they've already made their way over to the academy to peek in on their potential students," replied Naruto.

"Bit of a drag, if you ask me."

"I wasn't asking," quipped Naruto as he adjusted the robes on his shoulders. With a shrug, a shadow clone burst into existence, sitting upon the seat Naruto had just vacated. "I'll be back soon. Try not to do anything too foolish."

Hopefully this clone had a little more sense to him,Shikamaru remembered that little escapade as well; Naruto had tried to push through mountains of paperwork with the help of his clones which sadly didn't quite have the same agenda as him and put through a lot of motions that weren't quite favourable to a number of the first and last set of clones were used back when there was more work to be done back in Naruto's first year as Hokage one would imagine that the clone that had just been summoned would show some manner of maturity with it's work.

Opening one of the huge windows that looked out onto the old Konoha district; Naruto leaped to a nearby rooftop and started his slow jog towards the academy.

"Why can't we just take the doors like normal people?" asked Shikamaru as he gave chase.

"'Cause it's quicker this way. You know that."

"Exactly, so why can't we take the doors?"

...

Sipping on his third cup of coffee that morning, Shino carefully rifled through the list of names he had been given that would be taking the graduation exam.

Bolt Uzumaki

Himawari Uzumaki

Sarada Uchiha

Shikidai Nara

Inojin Yamanaka

Chocho Akimichi

Kabu Inuzuka

Kumo Aburame

Shino frowned as he looked down the meager list in front of he started teaching this class there had been more than triple the amount of names than what was in front of him. There had been a good mix of villager's children and children from the esteemed Konoha clans, yet as the school years passed, there was just too much of an obvious gulf in skill. The villager students struggled with understanding the basic fundamentals of chakra, while the children from the clans picked it up as if it was second nature.

When it came to exercises, the children were on more of an even footing, but eventually that too caused an obvious rift in ability. The fact of the matter was that the children from the clans were learning and adapting at a quicker rate while the others were seeing improvements over a longer span of time. For Shino, logic dictated that he would have greater results from the youngsters who improved at a constant rate than the ones whose improvement was sporadic at best.

With his findings taken to headmaster Iruka and the Hokage, they both had agreed that the ordinary children weren't performing to the standards set by the academy and had to be removed. Shino had lost count of the dirty looks this had earned him on his daily walk from home to the academy, but he didn't care. His logic and data had proven his findings and had brought him to the most obvious conclusion. They just weren't good enough.

Shino gulped down the rest of his now cooled beverage as the bell rang for his students to come in from their extended lunch. The afternoon would be full of nothing but graduation exams, a fact not lost on Shino as he looked out of his window at the group lining up in single file outside the exam hall. His eyes lingered on one erratic blond haired student.

...

Bolt could feel his insides wanting to tear out and become his outsides. His heart raced, his forehead was becoming slick with a thin film of cold sweat, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing to attention.

"So, you worried?" asked Shikidai, bored as always.

Bolt wanted to answer, but his Adam's apple had turned to stone. The lump in his throat proved a struggle to shift as what he replied came out in a whispered tone. "Who me? Never," said Bolt when he got his voice back under control. "I'm Bolt Uzumaki, the Leaf's number one prankster. Something like an exam can't shake me," finished Bolt, mustering all the false bravado he could.

"He's absolutely terrified," interjected Sarada, adjusting her thick rimmed glasses. " I can hear his heart racing from fear, and if he keeps sweating anymore, he's going to make a puddle."

"Who asked you, Four Eyes?" shouted Bolt, obviously flustered.

"Now, now, Big Brother. She meant nothing by it. Now apologise to Sarada," said Himawari, the younger of the Uzumaki siblings wanting to avoid another outburst.

As if on cue, Shino poked his visored head around the door, the line of students quickly becoming silent once his presence was known. It was a well known fact that Shino looked out for his students, yet he was the sternest amongst the teachers when he needed to be. Many a time the threat of his kekkai bugs eating them in their sleep had solved a classroom dispute.

"You will be called in one at a time in alphabetical order. Please leave any personal objects with me before you enter the exam hall. Breaking this rule causes an automatic exam failure."

This made Bolt's Adam's Apple turn to stone once again. He would be one of the last to take his exam. Everyone would know if he failed or not straight away.

"You will first be taking a written exam. Do not try to cheat. Iruka-sensei and a squad of elite sensory ninja will be watching over it personally. After the written exam will be your practical exam where the same rules apply," said Shino in his usual stoic manner.

"You're not taking the exam, Shino-sensei?" asked Himawari.

"No. I could be inclined to overlook cheating because of my attachment to you guys. For what it's worth, I'd like to see you all pass," replied Shino.

As the line of students trudged into the hall, Bolt could almost feel the pit of dread in his stomach weighing down his steps, as he handed over his necklace to Shino-sensei and collected his paper from him.

...

Shikamaru trailed lightly behind Naruto, knowing that the pace that the blond was using was a slow one. It was probably good that he was behind lest he see the disappointed expression that was likely plaguing the leader of the village. He didn't blame him by any means. Looking over his shoulder he was able to see just above the Hokage monument to where the tops of skyscrapers adorned the skies. Chances were that at that moment in time there were more people in that one building alone then there were littered amongst the streets of Konoha. True that this was likely due to a majority of the population working at that exact moment, but it was a testament to how much of the population had relocated over time.

Shikamaru knew it was tough times for the Hokage, despite the brave face he wore on a daily basis. Looking through the archive records it was clear that missions were reaching a low that hadn't been seen since the Second was in charge. With the missions drying up, the Daimyo had decreased Konoha's funding and used the resources to help develop the "future" as he'd called it. Naruto had tried his best to reason with the lord, but no matter what he said, nothing could reach the man's ears.

"We're here," announced Naruto as he dropped to the ground floor in front of the academy where a number of nervous parents were waiting.

"There you are," said Hinata with a coy smile as Naruto quickly closed the distance and gave her a quick kiss. "Here I was thinking you weren't going to make it."

"Please. I promised Bolt last night," said Naruto with a cheeky smile.

"And you never break a promise," said Hinata, finishing what everybody else was thinking.

"So, any predictions on who's going to make it through?" asked Sakura as she put her hands on her hips.

"If my son's going to do like I think he will, then no," declared Shikamaru.

"Oi, unlike you I actually want our son to pass," scolded Temari with a puff in her cheeks.

"Well, if yours passes, Shika, then Inojin's going to be top of the class," stated Ino, flicking her hair back as she did so.

"Yea right, Thunder Thighs," said Karui, causing a tick mark to appear on Ino's brow.

"Thunder Thighs; is that the best you can come up with?" said Ino, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. Despite Karui having been a part of her life for so long, the two of them had never really been able to get along.

"Well, calling you an airhead is almost too easy," said Karui with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Now, now dear, calm yourself," said Sai, doing his best to make sure Ino didn't assault Karui in any way.

"Honey, please stop agitating Ino," said Chouji as he gently placed his arm upon his wife's shoulders. "I rather not have you under her jutsu again."

"Come on now, guys. Let's not argue about things," said Naruto, doing his best to play peacemaker. "Remember, we're all here to congratulate our children when they graduate."

"Well, somebody's full of hope that both their children are getting through," stated Kiba.

"Wait, both?" questioned Naruto.

"Man, don't tell me you were too dense to realise that your daughter's taking the test today as well," said Kiba.

"When did this happen?" asked Naruto as he turned to his wife.

"I told you a week ago," said Hinata. "Himawari was able to do all of the credentials in order to graduate, so she asked me if she had my permission to take the exams."

"And you said yes?" said Naruto flabbergasted.

"I told her to ask you, and she told me that you said yes," declared Hinata.

"I said yes?" said Naruto, getting completely confused with what was going on.

"Man, I think you need to take a vacation or something," said Chouji. "Clearly being Hokage's getting to you."

"But that's it. I'm the Hokage," said Naruto. "I can't just do a Killer Bee and bail for a couple of months."

While various members of the group bickered about Naruto's wellbeing, Shikamaru knew that Naruto was shouldering a lot onto his own shoulders. With so many of the major civilian clans having left for the city, it meant that the council had been disbanded as it seemed pointless to discuss economic business with only the clan heads. This, of course, meant that Naruto had to take every problem that the civilian part of the council would have originally dealt with. From worthwhile to obsolete, every one of them became another job thrust at him. It was eating away at him piece by piece, and considering that, it was understandable how he had said yes to his daughter without fully registering the question.

"I think you should take the vacation," said Shikamaru slightly stunning everyone.

"Aren't you meant to be on my side here?" asked Naruto.

"I'm going to send a letter to the Kazekage to see whether or not it's alright for you to go visit for a week," declared Shikamaru.

"Suna, excellent. I needed to talk to Gaara anyways to discuss a trade deal for timber stocks," said Naruto.

"I will also put in the letter that during your stay he is not permitted to speak with you about anything regarding to exports, imports, or anything remotely business related," stated Shikamaru. "I'm saying this as both your advisor and your friend."

"Well, if you say it's for the best," said Naruto, rubbing the back of his head.

"Please, though, during your time there, please don't do anything stupid," warned Temari.

"Pfft, it's not like I'd simply go into the desert and try and fight Shukaku or anything," said Naruto, brushing it off. Looking at everybody's expressions, though, it was clear that that was exactly what they thought he'd go and do.

"Well while you're gone, I'll look after the Hokage seat for you," stated Kiba.

"Shika, you'll be in charge while I'm gone," said Naruto, quickly shooting down Kiba's idea and causing a couple of people in the group to chuckle.

"I agree. Kiba in charge would likely lead to some manner of disaster," said Shino.

"Shino, the hell. When did you get here?" asked Sakura, having not noticed the insect-user arrive in the group.

"I have been here for several minutes," said Shino, mildly upset that he had been overlooked for so long. "I came to inform you that your children are undergoing their written exam as we speak."

...

_Written exam, why did it have to be a written exam?_

Bolt tore at his hair as he stared at the paper in front of him. He had been so busy trying to master all of the necessary jutsu that the idea he'd have to study beforehand had never occurred to him.

"The exam will take two hours. Turn over your sheets and begin," said Iruka, turning the hourglass over.

Turning the sheet over, Bolt was simply perplexed at what was on the sheet before him. _Ok,_ _Bolt, take it easy. You can do this. Right; question one: "Shino-sensei throws a kunai at a target at 14 mph, standing at a distance of 25 yards. How long does the kunai take to reach it's target?"_

Bolt looked bemusedly at his paper as he desperately tried to tap into the portion of his memory that contained the answer. _Shinobi's rules, no. Taijutsu holds depending on gender, no. Math, where are you math?_

Letting out a loud sigh as he clutched at his head, Bolt looked on in vain at his fellow students. Shikidai hadn't even bothered to turn over his paper, more interested in the small family of sparrows, nesting high up in a nearby tree. Sarada and Himawari were both transfixed by their papers, their hands darting across the page as their concentration never broke from it. Fortunately for Bolt a few others were having similar problems to him, the already-pale Inojin having turned a snowy white in complexion. Kabu Inuzuka had taken to purely snarling and huffing at his test, as his docile companion Teria snoozed peacefully on the boy's desk.

This was going to be a long two hours.

…

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	2. Fear and Loathing in Konoha

**Brought to you by the colonial cousins, Razmataz22 and DevilsDoCry**

**We own literally nothing.**

...

Konohamaru was surprised when he cast the Genjutsu on the old oak tree that overlooked the test room. It was nothing much, having only altered the colours on the tree to make it look as if Autumn had begun by turning the leaves orange despite it being the middle of Summer. He never imagined that he would be almost spotted by an academy child, letting out a hushed sigh as the child started his test. Konohamaru knew he was going against Shikamaru's orders of waiting in the Jonin lounge, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. After all this graduating class was amongst the cream of the crop of Konoha's elite ninja, from the Uzumaki siblings to what would hopefully be the latest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho trio. It would be this class that would produce the Leaf's next set of talismanic ninja, and Konohamaru was eager to play his part.

...

Shikidai focused on the tree outside of the exam hall. It was the middle of summer in Konoha and it was rare for a gentle breeze to blow through the village, never mind a gust strong enough to make a branch bow.

'_Just my imagination, now this test,'_ thought Shikidai, turning his paper over. Quickly scanning through the questions, Shikidai could tell that some of them would be hard for a Jonin to answer.

'_The proper way to repel a Sealing Jutsu, shinobi engagements from the First War, jinchuuriki throughout history. Only someone with their nose buried in a bo...' _Shikidai's train of thought stopped as he reached an epiphany.

Looking around the room, it was as Shikidai expected. Himawari and Sarada's hands were a blur as they danced about their test papers. By the looks of it Kumo Aburame had already completed her paper, the young genius resting her head in her hands. Bolt was gripping his head, whether in confusion or pain Shikidai couldn't tell. Shikidai could feel himself filling with smug glee as he looked over to the far wall of the exam hall, the supposed sensory ninja were all either dosing off or had their heads buried in one of a series of coloured books.

'_So this exam is only to gauge our knowledge and not to pass or fail us, the "elite" sensory ninja are just here for show. The real test will be the practical exam later. This part of the exam is to help determine who will go on whose team depending on book knowledge as it would be irritating to put all of the brainiacs on the same team,'_ smirked Shikidai, concluding his train of thought.

Leaning back in his chair, Shikadai took to counting the number of wooden planks in the halls ceiling.

...

Mirai smirked as she could almost hear the gears whirring in the Nara boys head. Looking from over the top of her book, she could see his eyes dart back and forth between his fellow students and the lineup of bogus sensors.

_"Just like Shikamaru-sensei, far too sharp for his own good. Still, I think Konohamaru would've been given a wake up call when an academy student nearly saw through his Genjutsu,"_ thought the red eyed Jonin, smirking as she continued to haphazardly glance at the loaned book.

_"Still nice to know my henges are believable enough," _thought Mirai, checking her form in the small mirror she kept in her sleeve.

Mirai had managed to create a near perfect henge, all but for the lit cigarette that should've been perched in her mouth.

_"Although, I doubt any of them would recognise my father if a history book hit them in the face,"_ thought Mirai, glancing at her book.

When she had arrived at Kakashi's home earlier that day for their morning perimeter run, she had hardly expected to be given orders and a mission from the ex-Kage. He had explained it as one of the few perks he managed to keep hold of when he stepped down, but Mirai wasn't as dense as Kakashi thought she was. Or at least what she assumed he thought of her, it was rather difficult to distinguish just what his thoughts were from behind the mask that he always wore.

She still couldn't figure out why he still wore the damn thing. He wasn't a ninja anymore so what point did it have?

Still the Sixth Hokage had given her quite a number of things to think about in regards to the fact that she would soon be taking on her own Genin squad. Assuming that all of them passed, of course. Even then, it would leave one squad from the graduating Genin as a group of two which, while mildly disappointing, couldn't be avoided. Knowing her luck, she'd get the misfits of the group, the two that thought themselves isolated amongst their peers until either another graduate appeared or a team in the year above split apart and one joined the squad. Either way, it meant there was no chance they would be taking the Chunin Exams for quite some time.

Reaching up, she rubbed her eyes between her forefinger and thumb as an elongated sigh escaped her lips. She needed to stay away from Shikamaru for extended period of times as she found herself having to restrain from allowing the word 'troublesome' to escape her lips.

...

"How do you think they're doing?" asked Hinata as she looked at the window, knowing that behind that wall her children were doing the best they could in order to ensure they would graduate.

"I'm sure they're doing fine," said Sakura doing her best to comfort her fellow mother. "We all managed to get through it just fine."

"Apart from numbnuts here who couldn't make a clone," said Kiba pointing a finger at his leader.

"Before I leave can I send him on a suicide mission?" Naruto asked of Shikamaru.

"Not happening," stated the advisor as he picked at some gunk in his ears, earning a scowl of disapproval from his wife.

"You're no fun anymore, you know that?" said Naruto dejectedly, as Hinata put a hand on her downtrodden husband's shoulder.

"Now, now dear, today is their day," said Hinata, reminding the small group of what today was all about.

"After today, they won't just be our kids to look after. They'll each be getting a teacher to watch them like hawks as well. No more chasing Bolt up the Kage monument, eh?" said Hinata, smiling as she nudged her partner in the ribs.

"Heh, but you guys had Kakashi and Kurenai, Asuma taught us how to chain smoke and suck at shogi," chuckled Chouji.

"Then you didn't know Kurenai-sensei very well, she had an inane talent for getting over a hangover in five minutes. I don't want to even begin on her aptitude for Drunken Fist, three of my ribs still don't feel like they ever slotted perfectly back into place," chirped Shino.

"Come on Naruto, you're the Kage can't you give the slightest hint at who is going to be teaching our kids. I already have one Shikamaru, I don't really need another," said Temari with a yawn.

All Naruto could do was put up his hands in surrender, he knew quite well the Jonin that would be overlooking the tutelage of their children. It was the reason he had such a poor night's sleep: he had been awake until the early hours going over and over his selections, trying to justify each choice.

Konohamaru Sarutobi had come into his own as soon as he became a Chunin, becoming one of - if not - the best shinobi that the Leaf had to offer. Then there was Mirai Yuhi, a young kunoichi who had been left behind a behemoth of a legacy by her father and grandfather... a legacy that she had lived up to, becoming the Sixth Hokage's only disciple. Lastly was Izumo Kamizuki, most well known in his youth as being the more level headed of Konoha's gate guards. Other than taking part in the Fourth War and making Jonin, there was little else that stood out on his record.

"Sorry, confidential Kage buisness," said Naruto, pulling a pinched finger across his lips.

"You shouldn't be waiting long, looks like they've finished the written portion," said Shino, gesturing towards the line trudging out if the exam hall.

"Wait, there was a written portion?" shouted Naruto.

"BAKA!" exclaimed Sakura as her fist collided with the top of Naruto's skull, driving him face-first into the ground. Some of the civilians watching the exchange couldn't help but wonder why a number of clan heads were laughing as their Hokage was being assaulted; after a while, they gave up on those thoughts and passed it off as a ninja thing.

...

Izumo had steadily been drinking his way through the Jonin lounge's sake supply before his oaf of a former partner burst in.

"So this is what you do all day? Drink and hang out with better ninja?" asked Kotetsu, pointing an accusing finger at his former partner.

"Anko's orders, Mirai and Konohamaru were here earlier but they bolted. They never could sit and wait patiently," replied Izumo, uncorking his third bottle of sake.

"Probably because they've gone to pick up their students, like you should be doing!" exclaimed Kotetsu.

Izumo hadn't even had a chance to let the fresh sake grace his throat, before he spat it all back out and bolted for the door.

"She said it was tomorrow, that bitch!"

"What did you call me?" hissed Anko as she stepped into the room.

"Ahhhhh!"

...

Himawari could almost _see_ the steam escaping from her brother's ears. A few of the questions had been easy, but others had been challenging enough that by the time her pencil was set down there were still a good ten minutes left on the hourglass. A few times through the exam, Himawari had slyly activated her Byugukan to check up on her elder brother. To say he struggled would've been an understatement.

Needless to say that vast improvements were going to have to be made during the upcoming parts of the exams in order for Bolt to pass. She also couldn't help but wonder what her father would say or do if he discovered just how bad Bolt's results were. Being the Hokage, undoubtedly her father had been the top of the class when he had graduated, likely outscoring everybody else by miles as he left them all in his wake.

...

"AHCHOO!"

"Oh dear, you haven't gotten a cold now have you." said Hinata, offering her husband a handkerchief.

"I'm sure it's nothing."

...

Himawari swallowed nervously as she handed her paper in, knowing now that the more difficult part of the exam for her was about to begin. It was also interesting knowing that it was the upcoming parts of the exam that her brother would excel at. The next part would be laps around the oval to judge their stamina levels, which, considering Bolt's knack for running away from every shinobi he managed to piss off, he was almost assured to win. Again she couldn't help but wonder what her father thought about Bolt, as there was undoubtedly no way that he had done something so dastardly when he was of the same age.

...

"AHCHOO!"

"That's it, I'm going to go get you some cold medicine."

"I don't need it, I swear. Gaara's just probably talking about me or something."

"Please, you're probably the last thing on my brother's mind."

...

A droplet of ink spilled from the quiver that Gaara was using to write a highly confidential letter. Not any letter either but one regarding trade deals with Kumo. The ink droplet had created a smudge that marred the nearly completed treaty as worthless, meaning that the Kazekage would have to start again. Under no circumstances was he going to send such a letter that had such a disgraceful mark on it to the leader of another village.

Looking out the window, Gaara somehow knew in the back of his mind that this was all Naruto's fault.

...

Walking out the back of the schoolyard, Himawari had to shield her eyes momentarily in order to allow her eyesight to adjust to the brightness. As she looked around she wasn't surprised that an obstacle course now littered the field. A knot formed in her throat as her eyes set upon the multiple kunai that would serve as the majority of the pain that was likely to come as a result of this course. There were parts where numerous shuriken would need to be thrown into targets where only once five hit the target in a row would the student be allowed to pass, while a wooden wall at least ten feet high would also prove difficult for her to leap over.

"Who created this deathtrap?" asked Sarada nervously as she looked at the purple muck that they would have to wade through at one point. The bespectacled girl had to prevent herself from gagging as a bubble popped in the muck, letting out fumes so toxic that the students could see the gas.

"If I were to guess, I'd have to say perhaps Anko sensei," said Chocho, nervously noticing that their final goal lay within a nest of snakes.

Bolt, however, could sense the feeling of dread ebb away as he looked at the assault course before him. With renewed vigour the would-be ninja cracked his knuckles, and prepared himself for the course.

As for the rest of the students, they slowly realised that this day could very well be their last.

…

**Team Dragon Star is a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories like this one. We're an open group, meaning that everyone is welcome to apply to join on our forums. It presents a great opportunity for anyone looking to better their writing skills or be apart of a writing community.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	3. Tip of the Iceberg

**A/N: Shinko's name has been changed to Mirai due to new information.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto.**

**...**

Mirai could almost feel the jangling of the children's nerves, and the buzz of excitement that radiated from Bolt. From the guard post that she was perched in, she could see the entirety of what looked like the work of a maniac. Pitfall traps, snake pits, a rapid kunai course and then to top it all off a blind leap of faith across a 30 foot gap. Stood beside her in the guard post was Konohamaru and the ever late and out of breath Izumo.

"Nice of you to finally join us Izumo, I'm sure that you must have fallen foul of Anko again," sniggered Mirai.

"Evil… snake… lady… bogus… day," gasped the Jonin, trying to gain his breath.

"It wasn't all the sake you've been drinking? I could've smelled you from Suna," exclaimed Konohamaru, pinching at his nose.

All the absentee Jonin could do was gasp for breath. It had not been an easy sprint from the Jonin lounge to the academy, with Anko hot on his tail threatening scaled death and the sake starting to take it's toll. He'd had a rough start to his day indeed.

"Izumo's drinking problem aside, do either of you boys want to make a small wager?" asked Mirai, a devious shine in her eyes.

Izumo and Konohamaru eyed each other knowingly. Mirai was known in Konoha for two things: being the world's most beautiful assassin and the ultimate sucker. She enjoyed making ludicrous bets that she thought were a sure thing before losing all of her earnings due to some ill-conceived twist of fate.

"Alright, you're on," said the two males in unison. While Konohamaru felt a little bad about betting against his cousin, he knew that it was a vice that Mirai couldn't quite shake. He also feared what would happen to her team the first time she gambled on 'what could go wrong?'

"Choose a child, and if that one wins the winner takes all," replied the kunoichi.

"So... betting on Rookie of the Year," said Izumo as he finally regained his breath, stretching out his back with a satisfied smirk. "What are the wagers?"

Mirai blinked once before quickly wondering what it was that she could take from her two opponents. The black haired kunoichi, however, was beaten to the point by her cousin. "Losers have to inform Lee that their youth is lacking," stated a grinning Konohamaru, the other two Jonin suddenly feeling chills run down their spines. Trust Konohamaru to think of something worthy of his pranking days.

Mirai swallowed a lump that had been growing in her throat. She for one was well aware of her terrible luck which was why she tried her best to make sure nothing hinged on her. The stakes seemed much higher than anything she had even thought of saying herself. She was going to state that the losers had to fork over half of their next 'B' ranked missions pay to the winner but this was something much, much worse.

"Deal," stated Izumo, surprising the other two.

"You're going through with this?" asked Mirai in confusion.

"What, chicken?" taunted Izumo successfully causing a fire to light up in Mirai's eyes.

"You're on pal!"

No doubt that this bet would be the one.

"So who are you going to bet on?" asked Konohamaru. "I've got my bets placed on Bolt all the way."

"And I could've predicted that one from a mile away," said Izumo earning a laugh out of Mirai. "Please, the kid studied as much as you did in class so he was doomed from the start."

"Well, who are you going for then?" asked the grandson of the Sandaime.

"Hmm, let me think… probably Inojin."

"The Yamanaka kid? No way!" exclaimed Konohamaru.

"Trust me, the kid knows that all hell awaits him if he doesn't get in the top three," said Izumo, making his claim.

"Alright then, what about you Mirai?" asked the former leader of the Konohamaru Corps.

Mirai bit at the inside of her lip as her eyes travelled across to the field, watching as Chocho simply refused to try and get over the wall set up, giving her instructor the finger as she merely walked around it. This of course ruled her out of contention.

The next to approach the wall was Sarada, the daughter of Sakura who had been a student of one of the Sannin. There was a moment of frustration upon her face as she contemplated just how to go about the obstacle in front of her. Neither Mirai or any of her companions could have predicted that the raven haired girl would pull back her fist before driving it into the wall, her punch plowing straight through the wall much to the surprise of everybody who had witnessed it. This of course was quickly followed by a highly entertaining scene as many assumed the girl had meant to destroy a good portion of the wall which would allow her to stroll through. Instead though her attack had merely allowed her fist passage and now she was having trouble pulling her hand out of the hole she had created.

'_Book smarts, no applied smarts,' _ noted Mirai as she prevented herself from giggling at the sight. Her interest peaked however as she noticed undoubtedly the smallest person on the field run forward with a determined look upon her features. Leaping forward, they were able to get enough height to land on Sarada's head with one foot before using the Uchiha girl as a springboard to launch herself to the top of the wall.

"That's my pick, right there!" declared Mirai as she pointed down to her selection.

"Himawari? Yeah, good luck with that," said Izumo brushing it off.

"It's not really often I say this but I have to agree with you there Izumo," acknowledged Konohamaru. "She may be the Hokage's daughter but if they have to spar later on there's no way she can make it past the first round. I remember in my exam we had to fight in a tournament to test both our skills and our stamina with the winner getting a max of twenty percent towards their grade. Second would get fifteen percent and the one that got third would be given ten percent. Fourth would get five but everything after that was a big fat zero. You just cost yourself twenty points there."

Grinding her teeth, Mirai couldn't help but agree with her cousin to some degree however as she saw Himawari weave through swinging kunai she knew there was no other choice. "My bet stands," she declared before the three of them shook hands, solidifying the bet.

"You know, I just had a terrible thought," said Izumo.

"What's that?" asked Konohamaru.

"What if none of them get Rookie of the Year?"

The three Jonin stood in silence as a cold gust helped them come to the realisation that there was more than a fifty percent chance that all three of them could very well be meeting up with Lee in order to rejuvenate their youth.

...

The task that Iruka had set was a simple one: retrieve the scroll. That was all that had been required of the students. What had been left out, however was the assault course that had been laid out in front of them separated them from that elusive scroll.

"Come on, I can do this," said Bolt as he tried to rack up the courage necessary to take the next part of the obstacle course. As anybody who had been watching had expected, Bolt had been the one to charge through at breakneck speeds, barely fazed by any of the dangers that lay ahead of him. Now he was though, completely frozen as he stared down the venomous creatures in front of him guarding the scroll that he needed to catch.

For as long as he could remember he had been chronically fearful of snakes, all due to one mishap during a night where Anko had offered to babysit the kids, allowing Naruto and Hinata to go out for their anniversary dinner. While Bolt couldn't really remember much from when he was only three years old, he could still remember the feel of the viper coiled around his wrist, its tongue flickering over his skin and Anko's maniacal laughter in the background urging the snake into striking. Time may have distorted the story from its roots because of the many sweat-drenched nightmares he had experienced as his fear for snakes grew, but it had done nothing abate the chronic trembling in his legs, as he stood before the reptiles

As he stood there, fixated upon the slithering beasts, he failed to notice Chocho simply waltz past him and into the nest of serpents without so much as a second thought. The daughter of the Akimichi clan leader didn't so much as bat an eyelid, having hung around with Anko so much to the point that if she were tired she'd simply fall asleep in the viper pit without thinking twice. Grabbing the necessary scroll, she turned around and left the playing field but not before petting one of the snakes on the top of its head.

Bolt could feel the bullets of sweat raining down from his brow. Looking over his shoulder, he could still see that there were quite a few obstacles between himself and the next runner and he couldn't help but assume that Chocho had simply ignored every obstacle, opting to go around rather than through. From the corner of his eye he was able to see Kabu finally finish the tunnel he had opted to dig underneath the large wall, the feral instincts the boy possessed coming out in full force as he rushed out of the tunnel with a snarl.

The Uzumaki child could do nothing, however, as two more of his classmates bypassed him without him taking a single weren't looking good for the Genin.

...

"Oh Konohamaru, I can feel your flames of youth turning into sad little embers. Seems your star selection has a peculiar fear," said Mirai, smiling as her cousin's rampant bravado derailed.

"Bite me, Yuhi," pouted Konohamaru.

"Tut, tut, temper,cousin. Remember, I know what you're afraid of," replied Mirai, a flash of evil glinting in the kunoichi's red eyes.

"You're not out of the woods yet Mirai, Inojin is just ahead of Himawari," said Izumo

"For now."

...

Inojin could feel the prying eyes of the gathered Jonin looking down on him. He thought it had just been his imagination when he came out into the yard but his suspicions had been confirmed when in the distance he saw Bolt lock up and a shout came from the distant guard tower. Now all Inojin could do was focus on every step he made, he daren't put one wrong in case it sullied their opinion of him.

Looking behind himself he could see the small figure of Himawari steadily making ground on him, the burning in the young wannabe ninja's lungs getting worse as he tried to keep a reasonable gap between himself and the youngest Uzumaki. Inojin had spent so long concentrating on what was behind him that he hadn't realised the collision course was now on with Bolt. Slamming into the back of the yellow haired youngster, all Inojin could do was brace himself as the elder Uzumaki let out a god-almighty cry.

...

Seizing the opportunity, Himawari took to spring boarding over another one of her fellow student's heads. Inojin barely noticed the younger girl planting a dainty foot atop his head, before kicking off of it. The pale Yamanaka was having a hard enough time with the dozens upon dozens of snakes slithering about him and the cowering form of Bolt holding him in a vice lock.

Leaping over the sea of serpents and into the clearing where a scroll had been earlier placed, Himawari tucked in her legs and somersaulted to lessen the momentum of her fall. Picking up the scroll, the young Uzumaki was sure she could hear a shout of pure elation. The girl shrugged it off nonetheless, choosing to concentrate on the clear path to the final obstacle, the leap of faith.

...

"I'm going to treasure the looks on your faces forever," sniggered Mirai.

The other two accompanying Jonin were slack jawed and wide-eyed, they couldn't believe that their sure-fire bets were now slipping away before them. Konohamaru was the first of the duo to come back to his senses, warming himself up and going through a series of different stretches. Izumo proceeded to copy Konohamaru, as suddenly the likelihood of them having to run many laps around Konoha became greater and greater.

"Can we forfeit our bets?" asked the pair in unison.

"Of course, but the forfeit will be much, much worse"

...

"Time's up!" shouted Iruka as he scanned over the field, he and several other Chunin having spent the duration of the event grading everything that seemed necessary. An example would have been that despite completing the obstacle course, the only obstacle course Chocho had faced was the snake pit. It seemed that the girl had simply decided that she couldn't actually be bothered to attempt anything had chosen to take the easiest route.

The strange thing was that despite how crazy it may have seemed, nowhere in the rules had it been stated that every obstacle must be attempted. The children had been given the task to retrieve a scroll from the snake pit and most of them had interpreted that as 'do the obstacle course in order to get the scroll in the shortest amount of time.'

As such it was simple to grade the children by thinking that this course was simply a race of skill and speed, with those failing to retrieve a scroll failing in this particular part of the exam. Among those unable to finish were Bolt, Inojin (who had been unable to move because of the vicious grip that Bolt had latched on to his body with) and Shikidai who had opted to merely lay upon the field and watch the birds fly overhead as clouds lazily drifted across the blue canvas. Had this been some manner of years ago Iruka would have shouted at the lazy Nara but with age came experience and by this stage, the teacher knew the Nara family all too well.

"Congratulations, to whomever acquired a scroll. Commiserations to those who failed their objective," said Iruka, forlornly. "Now onto the final part of your exam, this will be an individua-"

The experienced Chunin was cut off.

"Wait… we went through hell running your course, for nothing?" huffed Kabu as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yes, I asked you to retrieve this scroll. I never stated the manner in which you had to retrieve it," said Iruka as he massaged his temples.

"That's bullsh-" said the Inuzuka, before being swiftly clipped by one of the presiding Chunin.

Rubbing his now reddened ear, Kabu quietly snarled at the proctor before swiftly holding his tongue when Iruka stared daggers into him. The group of now bloodied and exhausted students followed their headmaster back into the school. Rising higher and higher through the academy until they came to a stop just outside of Iruka's office.

"In 15 minutes, I will start calling for you by last name alphabetical order. There are food and drinks laid out for you down the hall if you wish to silence your hungry stomachs," announced Iruka, before shutting his office door behind him.

Himawari could feel the acidic touch of bile rise to the back of her throat at the thought of food, opting to stand in silence slowly counting down the minutes in her head.

...

The usually very bold and brash Uzumaki child found himself unnaturally quiet as his comrades waited patiently to be called into the final exam room. His teeth gnawed against one another in frustration, knowing full well that he maybe had just lost his chance at becoming a Genin as a result of him being unable to conquer his fear.

Many of the other children within the classroom were also silent knowing that what lay behind that door would either make or break them. In the weeks leading up to their final test they had been told that they would be tested on three things that they had learned over the course of their time spent at the academy. Never once had they been given a clue as to which specific three things would be tested. As such many of the students had gone into different branches to focus their studies on, some opting to focus more on physical aspects while others buried their heads within books. Of the two tests they had taken so far, they had been tested in both their studies and stamina. Now however none of them could predict what Iruka had prepared for them on the other side of the door.

Himawari found her forefingers circling around one another, knowing very well that if she passed this final test then she would be partnered with two of the other hopefuls in the room. Being the youngest person there she didn't necessarily get along with them as well as her older brother did mostly because she hadn't spent as much time with them. None of them were enemies or anything like that but she feared that they would look down on her and believe that she would hold them back. While Himawari was determined to not let that happen, she subconsciously knew that she may not even have a choice.

All heads snapped to the same direction as Iruka's office opened up and the Chunin stepped out, a clipboard in his hand. "Alright children, the final test was going to see what you were capable of in regards to basic Jutsu but I have been told to try something more difficult," explained Iruka.

"Wait, so you're not even going to tell us what the last test even consists of?" asked Sarada.

"Troublesome," said Shikidai having picked up the catchphrase from his father.

"All I'm permitted to tell you is that behind my office door lies your final test," continued Iruka. "There are sound cancelling seals upon the walls so none of you will be able to hear what's going on inside. Once you have finished this final test, you'll leave via my window to where all of your parents are waiting to hear the good news."

Iruka turned to go back into his office before he paused mid-step. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said as he looked to where the children were sitting. "If you fail this test you will be expelled from the academy and will never be allowed to become a Genin."

"What?!" was the resounding cry amongst the gathered students. Before the information could properly sink in, Iruka was calling out the first name.

"Aburame Kumo," called out Iruka.

The normally stoic Aburame squeaked at the sound of her name being called out, the gathering of students parting so she that she could make her way to the office entrance. The class's other bespectacled wannabe kunoichi was frozen to the spot, the small colony of Kekkai bugs that she kept in her overcoat starting to franticly buzz in reaction to their owner's stress.

"Aburame Kumo," Iruka called out again, this time a bit sterner.

The Kekkai bug's buzzing increased as their owner's stress levels jumped ten fold at the sound of her voice being recalled. Slowly the youngster made her way to the office door, each step heavier than the next as Kumo tried to control the amount of duress she was under. As she made her way through the threshold of Iruka's office, the buzzing of her Kekkai bugs was silenced in an instant, proof that the silencing seal was in effect. Himawari could swear the lump in her throat had increased in size, as she realised there was even less time until her name was called. Pressing her index fingers together, Himawari desperately concentrated on getting her breathing to return to some form of normality.

_'__This must be how brother felt this morning when we had the written exam,' _thought Himawari, as she looked up to see that her brother's nerves from this morning had returned in full effect.

_'__B...but he was brave enough to face his fears and get over his nerves, that's all you have to do Himawari. Be like Bolt,'_ thought Himawari, as she again looked up to see her brother slowly sweating himself a swimming pool.

_'__Then again, he's never liked not knowing what was coming next. He might be a prankster, but even he's no fan of surprises. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Shikidai's book,' _the thought graced her mind for but a moment, before she noticed that the Nara boy was fast asleep.

_'__No, let's not be like Shikidai._'

Himawari squirmed and fought within her own head for so long that she had failed to notice that Chochou and Kabu were no longer amongst the gathered children. The door of Iruka's office opened once again to usher another one of them forth.

"Nara Shikidai," called out Iruka. After noticing that the student in question was asleep though, Iruka had no qualms with flicking a piece of chalk towards the Nara's brow.

Shikidai awoke slowly from his slumber, picking himself up and stretching out his limbs with a long yawn before plodding his way over to the open door. Bolt had retreated into himself as a thundercloud started to hover over his head. As for the youngest Uchiha, she was busy reading what looked like one of a certain series of adventure novels.

"The Utterly Gutsy Shinobi: Adventures in the Hidden Mist," said Himawari, hoping to engage the other girl in conversation. Mostly to take her mind off of things, while also to find a common interest with a student other than her brother

"You've read these yourself?" asked Sarada, looking over the book, her interest peaked.

"No, but I've had them read to me. When I was really little, mum and dad would take turns reading them to me every night," smiled Himawari, recalling one of her most cherished memories. "Mum would be the all knowing narrator, while dad tried his best to re-enact the scenes from the book," smiled Himawari, remembering one occasion where her father had over enthusiastically shot a rasengan through her bedroom ceiling.

"Dad did all the voices when he read, it was like he knew every character like the back of his hand," said Bolt as he unfurled himself from his ball of self doubt, having taken this opportunity to flee from the dread that was filling his being. "I remember he even started tearing up slightly at the death of Haku."

"Oi, spoilers you idiot," shouted Inojin having never read the books himself. With the knowledge that one of the central characters was going to pass away now he doubted he'd even bother picking it up at all.

The gathered children all recounted their own experiences with the books but before long Sarada had been called into Iruka's office, leaving the trio alone with one another.

"I wonder what mum and dad are doing?" muttered Bolt, not directing his question at anyone.

"Mum's probably talking Aunt Hanabi's ear off, she's been away for so long. Dad will be testing Shikamaru's patience like normal," said Himawari, a smile gracing her features.

The feeling of reverie was broken by Iruka's door opening for the third to last time.

"Uzumaki Bolt," said the headmaster.

The blond haired kid slowly pushed himself to his feet, his usual demeanour seemingly lacking as he feared what kind of test awaited him on the other side of the door. Silently he prayed it wasn't something similar to a pop quiz lest he find himself unable to remember the two founders of Konoha.

"You can do it brother," said Himawari softly, urging her sibling forward.

"Thanks," said Bolt softly as he calmed his nerves and stepped into the office.

Leaving Himawari all alone with Inojin.

The youngest Uzumaki child stared at the ceiling with a look of content on her face, proud that she had managed to make it this far. She knew that there hadn't been anybody that had graduated early since Mirai Yuhi and that had occurred a number of years earlier. Was she a prodigy like her? She doubted it and knew that there would be no shame in backing out now, but what would her father say if she did such a thing? What kind of reputation would that give her? The daughter of the Hokage, too scared to even take the final test.

Shaking her head, she dispelled such menacing thoughts from her mind as the door opened up, Iruka standing in the hallway looking down at her prone form. "Uzumaki Himawari," he stated, beckoning her to follow him.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Himawari got to her feet and stepped into the office unsure what lay ahead.

…

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	4. Bravely Onward

**This chapter is brought to you by Razamataz22 and DevilsDoCry.**

...

The air in Himawari's lungs froze as she entered Iruka's office. All of the blinds had been drawn and only the solitary light of a candle illuminated the scarred ninja's face, the rest of the room an inky void. The floorboards creaked and groaned as one shaky sandal after another progressed along the polished wood until the youngest Uzumaki sibling's eyes met with those of her headmaster. Standing before the veteran teacher, Himawari tried without avail to radiate a calm exterior.

'Uzumaki Himawari, present and accounted for," said Himawari in a stoic tone, doing her best to keep her nerves in place. Headmaster Iruka wasn't usually a daunting figure although she had heard that his Big Head Jutsu was something that students in detention feared above all else.

Iruka drummed his fingers across his desk, Himawari wondering what it was that was going through the Chunin's mind. Little did she know, however, that she was about to find out.

...

"So let me get this straight," said Bolt as he looked up at his mother and father as well as every other parent that paid him some manner of attention. "The final test is just to have the courage to do something?"

"To sum it up basically, yes," said Naruto.

"The hell? Why wouldn't the final test be something related to complicated jutsu or hand-to-hand fighting or something we'll actually use as ninja?" complained Bolt.

"Because courage is needed more than anything else," said Hinata as her fingers brushed against the back of Naruto's hand before grabbing hold of his palm. "Having the courage to take on enemies much stronger than you are in order to protect something precious to you is something you won't know you're capable of until the time arrives. Likewise, the courage to believe you are capable of being more is something you'll come to know in time."

"...I don't get it," stated Bolt, causing a small giggle to escape his mother's lips.

"You will one day, Bolt," said Naruto as he bent down and rubbed the top of the boy's head, much to the blond's annoyance.

"Dad, stop that," said Bolt as he knocked his father's hand away. "I'm a ninja now, you can stop treating me like a kid and show me the respect that I deserve."

"Don't worry, when you get your first mission I'm sure you'll get just what you deserve," said Naruto with a wicked smile crossing his face.

"Now, now dear, be nice," said Hinata, knowing full well that her husband was merely playing around. As she had done many years before now it would be Bolt's job to clean the gutters and paint the fences. Chances were though that her son would be much more vocal about it than she had been.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, Shikamaru's going to be in charge, remember?" said Naruto, remembering the fact that he was being forced to go on holiday to clear his thoughts for a while. There would be nothing but endless deserts as far as the eye could see where he and Gaara could spend some time releasing pent up frustrations in a calm and contained manner.

At least for the first few seconds before everything went to shit.

This was going to be a good holiday.

His last act of duty however would be to determine who would be on a team together and in turn who would be leading them. Firstly he had to look at his three selected Jonin, Izumo, Mirai and Konohamaru and what they would be able to teach each of the fresh Genin respectively. While he knew Konohamaru would beg at the chance to teach the Hokage's son, if only for historical purposes, he wasn't quite sure how he would go about teaching Bolt, considering how bad of a job Naruto had done of teaching him all those years ago. He still remembered the day that Kakashi in one of his acts as Hokage had classified Naruto's first ever made jutsu as an illegal technique after Konohamaru had unleashed it during a Chunin exam with delegates from all across the country watching.

That had not been a good day.

Naruto had never gotten the chance to work alongside Izumo in anything other than the Fourth Shinobi War, and even then it had just been one of his clones helping out in a situation that was unfavourable at the time. He had read the reports however about how Izumo alongside Shikamaru and Kotatsu had been in the battle against the undead duo of Akatsuki, and had fought valiantly against enemies whose skills were unknown. Sadly that had also been the day that Asuma had lost his life and Mirai had become fatherless.

Mirai was undoubtedly the strongest of the three, having progressed through the ranks in a way that nobody had truly thought possible. Given the fact that she had such a powerful lineage running through her veins though, it wasn't overly surprising. Determined to live up to her father's name, she had pushed herself faster and further to the point where she had become the personal bodyguard of Kakashi after he had given up the title of Hokage to Naruto.

After her stint at being an instructor she had already expressed her interest to go join the Twelve Ninja Guardians, and Naruto knew that with her abilities there was little chance that she wouldn't be accepted. But, the question of which Jonin would be given which Genin still remained.

The question also remained as to whether or not Himawari would be one of the Genin he would have to select an instructor for. He knew that she was a gentle soul, much like her mother, and would likely be able to proceed through the trials of being a Genin with a smile on the face, knowing that she was helping the community with every passing mission. Such a response was almost guaranteed to not occur from his son.

"Well honey, it looks like we have two shinobi in the family now," said Hinata giving Naruto's hand a light squeeze in order to break him out of the phase that he had been in, allowing the Hokage to see his daughter running towards him in excitement. Needless to say that while outwardly he looked happy for his daughter, he was by no means sharing her manner of excitement.

...

"YES, I'm still in the game," declared Mirai as she pumped her fist.

"Wow, that's surprising," stated Izumo as he watched the young girl display her headband to her parents. Rubbing the back of his head he couldn't help but smile. "I guess that's the first time in eight years every student actually passed the academy exam."

"Considering, though, there was only eight kids to begin with and all of their lineage, I'd be a bit dissapointed if one of them failed," said Konohamaru. "Doesn't matter though, I'm still going to win the competition."

"Pfft, yeah right," scoffed Mirai punching her cousin in the shoulder. Even though Konohamaru was the older of the two and still dreamed of being the Hokage once Naruto decided to resign (provided he didn't pull a Sandaime Tsuchikage), Mirai was determined to ensure that Konohamaru had to fight his way to get there. She often challenged her elder cousin to some interesting contests, usually derived loosely from stories that Gai would go on about in one of his rants when recalling his youthful days. They weren't too out of the ordinary, however, she had been scolded after having not informed the Hokage that there was to be a ramen eating contest, something which he had seemed quite upset about.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," said Izumo as he hopped on to the railing and looked over the town he had sworn to protect, before gazing briefly at the city beyond the village's jurisdictions. He knew that before he was given a group of Genin to look after in a few days time he would have to escort a travelling merchant to the city, a mission that was way too common these days, but it was one of the fundamental ways they could ensure money would keep coming into their pockets.

Until the nights down the bar robbed him of everything.

It was a good life nonetheless.

"I'll see yas round," said Izumo absentmindedly before he leapt off the railing and began to hop across the rooftops towards his destination.

"Have fun," called out Mirai,not knowing whether or not the slack Jonin could still hear her.

Inhaling deeply, she leaned against the rail and looked towards the Hokage monument which was without a wash of colour applied to the historic faces. Like many of the active shinobi she could recount the trials of each of the infamous ninja and how they became the leaders of the village. Unlike her cousin, she had no real drive to become as infamous as those depicted before her, but she would be damned before an enemy didn't know who she was. Just like how many famous shinobi had had titles attached to their names, such as the Copy Ninja Kakashi, the Green Beast of Konoha and the Yellow Flash, she too would have a name that struck fear into men's hearts.

She just needed to get a title somehow.

It wasn't that she wasn't a great shinobi, it was just that there had been no real way to make a name for herself in these times of peace. Dead bandits couldn't really go about telling how a black haired kunoichi had butchered them like no else. With the treaties between each of the major villages still in effect she couldn't go on a mission to a different part of the world and wreck havoc on some suicidal mission. Despite all that she was adamant to be recognised by Konoha. Someday. Somehow.

"So what now?" asked Konohamaru as he put his hands behind his head.

"Well you need to go have a shower, you stink like shit," commented Mirai as she did her best to wave the toxic gases expelled by Konohamaru's armpits away from her nostrils.

"Meh, later," said the Jonin, not really feeling rushed to abide by his cousin's demand.

"Dirty asshole," complained Mirai before she leapt off of the platform in order to get herself some fresh air.

...

Taking one of the baskets at the entrance Mirai made her way amongst the row of marked graves until she came to the one that was of interest to her. Kneeling down Mirai ladled some water onto the stone and began scrubbing the rough granite. '_So th__ey're_ _putting me in charge of my own team. Crazy, huh? I can't tell who's going to be more nervous, me or them?The way Shikamaru talked about you, he makes you sound like a super-sensei. Always giving each of them the time of day and always being totally honest with them. What if I'm not up to it, Dad? what if something goes wrong and I'm out here cleaning another tombstone? What would you have done? Did you ever have these thoughts? I guess it's hopeless asking a hunk of rock for advice, but it's all I've got left, really,' _thought Mirai.

Mirai spent what felt like an eternity just staring at the gravestone. She had never met her father, never spoke to him or asked him for advice. Everyone remarked that Mirai had inherited her fathers attitude and outlook, while eclipsing Kurenai's beauty. Even though she had a picture of her father by her bedside, Mirai could never really connect the image to the word. Her father to her had always been this stone in the grass.

Realising the amount of time she had spent knelt in front of the grave, Mirai replaced the dry dead flowers with the fresh ones she had bought on her way, taking just another moment to look back upon the grave. '_Good talk, Pop,_' thought Mirai as she turned to walk back to the graveyard's entrance. Looking at the height of the sun in the sky Mirai guessed it was around mid-evening as she began her usual leisurely stroll to Yakiniku Q.

...

Kakashi's pen flicked and scratched as he put the finishing touches to yet another chapter. The former Hokage had led a relatively solitary life, ever since handing over the mantle of village protector to his former student. Hidden away from the bustling city and the quiet of the village was where Kakashi now resided, in a small house, deep in what was formerly known as the forest of death.

It wasn't that he disliked the people of Konoha. After putting so much on the line for them, it would be a disservice to feel some sort of resentment toward them. Rather that now he was free of his responsibilities, he simply had more time to relish in a little solitude. Knowing that his work as the village leader was over he had chosen to spend his downtime trying to replicate what his idol had created before his death. Kakashi however knew that unlike Jiraiya if he were to obtain his research first hand he may not be able to survive the wrath that would be laid upon him if he were to be caught. He was pretty sure not even his former title would save him from a merciless beating raining down upon him from vengeful women.

Placing his pen down on the desk in front of him, he turned his head slightly to look out the window, to where a bird sat upon several eggs which he guessed would be hatching within the next few days. It was these small things that brought enjoyment into his life more so than anything that occurred within the Hokage tower. His reign at the top may have been short but he had wanted to return to field duties almost immediately,; the life within the chair one of utter boredom. Heavens only knew how Naruto remained sane.

Cracking his neck from side to side he looked down at the parchment in front of him and picked up his pen once more. If all went well he hoped that by some miracle he would be able to have his story published before the year was over, if only so that perverts had something to read once more.

...

The oil in the wok sizzled and popped as Hinata loaded another serving of pork ramen into the pan, with Naruto having missed breakfast and dinner and two young hungry bellies to feed. The Uzumaki matriarch had her hands full, yet her days as a ninja had not left her completely hopeless. The cleaver In her hand heaving it's way through the meat with the speed and precision of a culinary master; Hinata was in her element.

"So now that the pair of you are Genin, you can start earning some spending money for yourselves," said Naruto, in between mouthfuls of ramen.

"Yeah, I'm finally allowed to buy everything I've always dreamed of," replied Bolt, his mind lost in the reverie of explosive tags and tripmines.

Himawari hadn't spoken much since telling her parents the good news. All she could do was look in awe at the headband that she had earned. A symbol of her devotion to Konoha, she had made sure to fold the red fabric as neatly as possible; she would be meeting her Jonin sensei tomorrow and she wanted to look had been instructed to meet up the next day at the academy where they would be told both their teams and their senseis. Despite being kept in the dark about who their possible teacher could be Himawari could only guess that the trio that had been watching from the watchtower were the possible candidates.

"Something wrong Hima?" Quizzed Hinata, noticing that her youngest hadn't touched much of her food.

"No," said Himawari shaking her head.

"Just thinking about tomorrow, wondering what kind of teacher we'll have. What were your first impressions of your Sensei's?" Asked Himawari, fiddling with the headband in her lap.

"After what seemed forever waiting for him, we immediately questioned who's the dumbass wearing the mask," chuckled Naruto.

Hinata could only shake her head at her husband, she knew he meant well with trying to lighten the mood. But her daughter had inherited her timidness and need for a straight answer, something that Hinata hoped that Himawari would grow out of under her Jonin tutor. Much like she had with Kurenai.

"We found it hard to gauge Kurenai when we met her, she didn't give much away and kept herself to herself. So much so, that we only knew two things after our first day with her, her name and that she had a mean talent for Genjutsu," mused Hinata, remembering when Kiba had the stupidity to disvalue Kurenai's talent just because she was female.

"Kakashi was pretty much the same," said Naruto, nodding in agreement. "Jonin Sensei's are a completely different breed of ninja. Most of them have seen perilous combat and the death of comrades, to then go and train Genin's to one day have to experience that for themselves. It takes sturdy stuff."

"You'll notice that some have developed mannerisms or quirks to deal with this. Kakashi was often tardy, Gai's quest for youth, Asuma's chain smoking and Kurenai-sensei...well it wasn't odd to see her pounding double vodkas on the odd occasion," finished Hinata, as she placed another steaming bowl of ramen onto the table.

"You just have to keep an open mind when meeting your Sensei, you're going to be spending a long time with them and while they may seem odd at first these are the people who will teach you how to become a skilled shinobi. They're Jonin for a reason. Listen to them, learn from them and most importantly understand them," added Naruto, refilling his bowl.

With her unease abated, Himawari finally indulged in some of her mothers legendary cooking.

...

Shikamaru sighed as he stepped into the Hokage's office that morning, the sun peeking over the trees that surrounded the village, with the knowledge that his presence there was required much more than on a regular basis. With Naruto scheduled to leave the village within the next hour or so (depending solely on how long Hinata wanted to cuddle in bed) it meant from this day forward he would effectively be in charge of the entire village. While he had had some manner of say in the day to day events beforehand during difficult moments when Naruto required his assistance, going through all the menial and relatively pointless operations was something he was not looking forward to.

Stretching his arms high above his head, several vertebrae cracked in his spine ,showing his age, before he collapsed in the chair that was the centrepiece of the room. Already there was a small stack of paperwork that required his attention, something which would increase in size exponentially as the day progressed onwards. Leaning forward he reached for some parchment and a writing utensil but not before uttering his infamous phrase knowing full well what the day would be like for him.

"Troublesome."

…

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